2019 Holiday Checklist for SEO Optimization

Just like big box-retail stores, yes, we are talking about the holiday’s early. The holiday shopping season gets pushed back a week every year it seems as people compete for business. This year will be no different which is why we are already sharing out 2019 Holiday Checklist for SEO Optimization. As a top web development and digital marketing firm, we have learned that it is always better to start earlier, rather than late, to prepare online for the holidays.

In fact, this time of the year is when you absolutely must start looking at your 2019 holiday checklist for SEO and other aspects of marketing. Black Friday will be on us before you know it, and many aspects of SEO need a little time to develop before they achieve maximum efficiency. So, without further delay, here is our 2019 Holiday Checklist for SEO Optimization.

2019 Holiday Checklist

• Review Titles and Descriptions – This is an important tip for any time of the year because it is an area where mistakes are commonly found. Titles and descriptions are important for your Search Engine Results Pages (SERP) results. They are both reviewed by Google and other search engines when categorizing and ranking content. These items should help a search engine better understand the page content. They should provide clarity and focus, but also help direct traffic to you. That last part comes from gaining insights into search intent. During the holiday’s people are more likely shopping for others based on a list. This typically means the buyer has less product knowledge or time for detailed research. What that means is your titles and descriptions should be aimed at the uninformed buyer versus the knowledgeable one and take into account how those people might search for products. Review your pages with the Search Console. Focus on the pages you are ranking for and re-consider how people will enter search terms to better align your titles and descriptions.
• PPC Titles and Descriptions – Along with updating website page titles and descriptions, your pay-per-click (PPC) ads should be reviewed in the same light. What will speak to the less informed buyer working off a gift list? Specific words, ordered in a certain way, and presented at the right time will earn more clicks. Keyword research, including looking back at high use keywords and terms from the prior year, can help boost clicks.
• Update Content – Similar to titles and descriptions, content should also be updated towards the less informed holiday shopper. First, place yourself in the buyer’s shoes related to your products or services. For example, for a video game seller that aims at kids will look at parents and grandparents as the logical buyers. In that case, things like Top 10 Lists or Reviews and Rating content will be useful. Specific content should also include a year so that searches might prioritize your content because it is obviously recent.
• Set Up a Posting Schedule – The holidays can get hectic, with both work and people taking extra time away. That is why setting up a schedule for posting content and utilize tools to allow queuing posts for a later date. Regular, new content will help keep a regular stream of customers arriving at your site. It is also important to plan out specific content based around keywords for the holidays as well as specific sales and promotions.
• Confirm Google My Business Information – A business with a physical location should have an existing Google My Business This page contains basic information such as location, contact information, website address, and even reviews. This information must be current and accurate. It will help with local SEO rankings, customer confidence, and help provide legitimacy to Google.

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is that for many businesses out there, it is a make or break time during the holidays. To increase your chances to make more revenue, we recommend that you review our 2019 Holiday Checklist for SEO Optimization right away and check it twice. That way your holiday season is more likely to be nice.

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